Can Jerome Dyson lead UConn to a second straight big upset on Big Monday?
Monday’s Pick (2/22/10)
College Basketball: Connecticut vs. West Virginia (7 P.M. ET, ESPN)
Odds (brought to you by SBG Global)
Spread: West Virginia -2.5
Moneyline: West Virginia -145
Over/Under: 137.5
We’ve got a Big Monday showdown in the Big East, as a suddenly alive UConn team looks to further bolster their NCAA Tournament hopes with their second win over a top-10 team in the span of a week.
UConn looked to be down and out after dropping eight of 11, but what a difference a few days can make. Two days after getting embarrassed by Cincinnati at home, the Huskies went to #3 Villanova and won 84-75. Follow that with another convincing win at Rutgers, and all of a sudden, the Huskies have a chance to finish with 20 wins, a winning Big East record, and an NCAA Tournament berth all but secured if they can win out.
West Virginia still has an outside shot at the Big East regular season title, as they’re two games back of Syracuse with four games to go, but at the very least, they need to finish strong to land a bye into the Big East tourney quarters and keep themselves on pace for at least a #2 or a #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The key for West Virginia will be to slow down the Huskies’ guard duo of Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker. Not only can Dyson and Walker get plenty of shot opportunities, but they can also burn you by getting to the free-throw line on a regular basis, and of course both can do plenty of distributing as well.
For the Huskies, the key will be keeping West Virginia from getting it going behind the three-point line. It’s a constant threat, given how many Mountaineers can shoot the triple and how a hot streak can happen at any point, but UConn needs to limit the amount of open opportunities while all the while making sure that the threat of the three doesn’t open up opportunities elsewhere.
You can see my prediction for tonight’s showdown on Wagering Sports, but does my prediction match up with SimuPick’s?
SimuPick Says: WEST VIRGINIA 72, Connecticut 64
SimuPick’s Recommended Plays: West Virginia -2.5/-145, UNDER 137.5
Outcome: CONNECTICUT 73, West Virginia 62 (Spread/Moneyline: LOSS, Total: WIN)
